Daily pill could replace weight-loss shots like Ozempic and Wegovy
A daily pill developed by the US pharmaceutical company Lilly may become a convenient alternative to injectable drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. In phase III trials it significantly lowered blood sugar and body weight in people with type 2 diabetes ⌘ Read more

A floating laboratory will uncover the secrets of Arctic winter
The Tara Polar Station, a $23 million research vessel with a crew of 12, will drift across the Arctic ice to enable better monitoring of a rapidly changing environment ⌘ Read more

Stone Age dog skeleton hints at complex early relationship with pets
A nearly complete skeleton found in a cave in France belonged to a group known as the Palaeolithic dogs and its skeleton suggests it had a confusing relationship with humans ⌘ Read more

Why vanishing sea ice at the poles is a crisis for the entire planet
Extremely low sea ice levels in the Arctic and Antarctica signal a “new normal” that may accelerate global warming and disrupt ocean currents, on top of the consequences for people and wildlife that rely on the ice ⌘ Read more

Claims of alien life are overhyped – and miss the real accomplishment
Whenever there’s even a slight chance that an exoplanet shows signs of biological activity, people understandably get excited – but it’s never been aliens, and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, not this time or the next, says Chris Lintott ⌘ Read more

Quantum GPS can help planes navigate when regular GPS is jammed
A quantum sensor using Earth’s magnetic fields outperformed standard GPS backups in test flights. This technology could help commercial aircraft stay on course amid a rise in GPS jamming and spoofing attacks ⌘ Read more

Artificial light pollution could fuel growth of toxic algal blooms
The “skyglow” produced when light from cities bounces off clouds can help cyanobacteria and other aquatic microbes grow at night ⌘ Read more

Hot methane seeps could support life beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet
Microbial communities feeding on geothermal methane seeps beneath the Antarctic ice sheet could resemble life-supporting environments on frozen worlds in our solar system and beyond ⌘ Read more

Most accurate space clock to launch – and count down to destruction
A network of Earth’s best clocks will be synchronised with the most accurate one ever sent into space. But the device has a short shelf life: it will burn up in the atmosphere at the end of the decade as the ISS deorbits ⌘ Read more

Slices of wood can filter bacteria and microplastics from water
Water filters made from untreated wood can remove more than 99 per cent of particles, taking out many harmful bacteria and microplastics ⌘ Read more

Will we ever have confirmation of life outside our solar system?
The report of possible biosignatures on the exoplanet K2-18b is exciting, but we are a long way from establishing beyond doubt that there is life on such a distant world ⌘ Read more

Excavation in Sudan shows Roman Empire wasn’t as mighty as it claimed
When Roman Egypt came under attack from the Kushites in what is now Sudan, the Roman forces responded by destroying a Kushite city – or so we thought ⌘ Read more

Does the shipping industry’s plan for net zero add up?
New global rules will see a carbon levy applied to emissions from shipping for the first time, but analysts say the package falls short of what is needed ⌘ Read more

A classic hacking technique works on some quantum computers
Two independent research teams have developed methods for hacking noisy quantum computers based on a row-hammer attack, a type of interference used to infiltrate traditional computers ⌘ Read more

Why claims about “resurrecting” dire wolves are the tip of the iceberg
Colossal Biosciences’s “de-extinction” news is just the latest in a slew of eyebrow-raising claims by privately funded researchers. Is the bar for belief lower when those making the claims have a lot of money, wonders Jonathan R. Goodman ⌘ Read more

Ancient computer’s gears may not have been able to turn
The 2000-year-old Antikythera mechanism may have been a kind of astronomical calculator, but researchers are unsure whether it would have worked without jamming ⌘ Read more

Should your menstrual phase dictate what you eat and how you exercise?
The idea of varying your lifestyle throughout your menstrual cycle to help relieve PMS or period pain seems intuitive, but the evidence reveals a nuanced picture, finds columnist Alexandra Thompson ⌘ Read more

Astronomers claim strongest evidence of alien life yet
On a faraway planet, James Webb Space Telescope has picked up signs of molecules that, on Earth, are produced only by living organisms – but researchers say we must interpret the results cautiously ⌘ Read more

Vegan diets have good levels of key amino acids, but there’s a catch
It is harder for our bodies to absorb key nutrients from plant-based foods, so some vegans may be short on essential amino acids for healthy muscles and bones despite eating plenty of protein ⌘ Read more

Iron Age site was a purple dye factory for centuries
Beginning around 3000 years ago, Tel Shiqmona in modern-day Israel was a major centre for the production of Tyrian purple, a valuable commodity produced from marine snails ⌘ Read more

Ancient humans may have faced radiation risk 41,000 years ago
A weakening of Earth’s magnetic field known as the Laschamps event would have increased the threat of solar radiation, perhaps requiring ancient humans to invent protective measures ⌘ Read more

Exoplanet found in odd perpendicular orbit to brown dwarf star pair
It is rare to find brown dwarf stars orbiting in pairs, and this pair has an even more unusual exoplanet companion ⌘ Read more

The race to visit the asteroid making the closest pass by Earth
Space agencies from the US, Europe and Japan are all making plans to visit the asteroid Apophis when it makes an extremely close flyby in 2029 to learn how to deflect others like it ⌘ Read more

Quantum theory at 100: Let’s celebrate its power and provocation
Quantum theory started with a bout of hay fever, and went on to transform our view of the universe – but its legacy isn’t complete ⌘ Read more

What exactly would a full-scale quantum computer be useful for?
As quantum computers mature, they will be transformational. But there are good reasons why we don’t yet know exactly which problems they will excel at – and that makes them all the more exciting ⌘ Read more

Rain could be a clean way of generating lots of electricity
Water falls on Earth every day as rain, and now scientists seem to have found a way of using it to create renewable electricity ⌘ Read more

First ever confirmed image of a colossal squid in the deep ocean
The colossal squid is the largest invertebrate on the planet, but it is also surprisingly elusive. An image of a 30-centimetre-long juvenile is our first glimpse of the animal in its natural habitat ⌘ Read more

Drought may have sped the demise of Rapa Nui sculpture culture
A decades-long stretch of extremely low precipitation in the 1500s may have spurred cultural changes among the Rapa Nui people that reduced time spent building statues, but not all archaeologists agree ⌘ Read more

A timeline of the most important events in quantum mechanics
Explore the key moments in the history of quantum theory, from the early ideas of Albert Einstein and Werner Heisenberg to the discovery of phenomena like superposition and entanglement – and today’s quantum computers ⌘ Read more

People are really bad at spotting AI-generated deepfake voices
Tests show that when people hear recordings of real voices and AI-created ones, they mostly fail to spot the fakes – raising concerns about scams involving counterfeit voices ⌘ Read more

Drones and sensors could help predict ocean current shutdown
A massive research project will investigate the role of icebergs in driving melting of the Greenland ice sheet, a process that could trigger a catastrophic collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation ⌘ Read more

Antarctic teams drill oldest ice cores yet in search of climate clues
Ice cores that record 1.2 million years of Earth’s atmosphere are on their way to Europe to be analysed, and an Australian drilling team is hoping to go even further back in time ⌘ Read more

Digital devices may help ward off cognitive decline in older people
Using smartphones, computers and the internet seems to slow cognitive decline in people aged over 50 ⌘ Read more

Inside the mouth-watering race to master lab-grown chocolate
We’ve now figured out how to culture chocolate in the lab. The breakthrough could help with spiralling cocoa costs, and may even lead to tastier treats with more nutritional value ⌘ Read more

Drug-resistant gonorrhoea could be treated with a UTI antibiotic
An antibiotic that is commonly used for urinary tract infections effectively treated gonorrhoea, and may even work against drug-resistant cases ⌘ Read more

Electrical synapses genetically engineered in mammals for first time
Scientists have used gene editing to produce artificial electrical synapses in mice, where they can be targeted to make the animals more sociable or reduce their risk of OCD-like symptoms ⌘ Read more

Trump budget cuts would eliminate much of NOAA’s climate research
Proposed cuts would wipe out NOAA’s Ocean and Atmospheric Research office among a raft of other reductions to one of the main scientific agencies of the US ⌘ Read more

Bronze naval ram from Roman battle recreated using ancient techniques
Roman ships equipped with bronze rams sank dozens of Carthaginian ships during a major naval battle in 241 BCE – now we know how the rams were made ⌘ Read more

Methane-eating bacteria are ready to capture landfill emissions
Bioreactors housing methane-eating bacteria could offer a portable, off-grid solution for soaking up methane leaks from sites like landfills and coal mines ⌘ Read more

Dolphins are dying from toxic chemicals banned since the 1980s
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are commonly found in the bodies of short-beaked common dolphins that get stranded on UK beaches, and are linked to the animals’ risk of infectious diseases ⌘ Read more

Book Club: Readers admit they weren’t impressed with our latest novel
Culture editor Alison Flood rounds up the book club’s thoughts on our latest read, the weird and wild Dengue Boy by Michel Nieva. Warning: spoilers ahead ⌘ Read more

Inside the hunt for unknown minerals in super-deep diamonds
Diamonds formed in Earth’s lower mantle contain tiny flecks of minerals that are helping us understand the inner workings of our planet ⌘ Read more

The evolution of easier births means slower walking and pelvis issues
Wider hips may make childbirth easier, but increase the risk of other health issues ⌘ Read more

Denisovan fossil from Taiwan gives clue to mysterious ancient humans
A fossil jawbone found by fishers in the Taiwan Strait has extended the known range of ancient Denisovan people thousands of kilometres to the east ⌘ Read more

Where Schrödinger’s cat came from – and why it’s getting fatter
Schrödinger called his metaphorical cat “quite ridiculous” but the quantum weirdness it represents has become a useful benchmark for the quantum computing industry, finds our quantum columnist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan ⌘ Read more

Should we give up on recycling plastic?
Globally, only 14 per cent of the plastic we use is recycled – but some countries achieve higher rates and new technologies could change the picture drastically ⌘ Read more

AI-powered chilli spray could deter bears without injuring them
A machine controlled by AI that sprays bears with the chilli pepper chemical capsaicin could reduce dangerous confrontations with people ⌘ Read more

Archaeologists uncover settlement from golden age of ancient Egypt
A newly discovered settlement in the north-western Nile delta was built by the Egyptian New Kingdom perhaps 3500 years ago and included a temple dedicated to pharaoh Ramesses II ⌘ Read more

Speculative novel layers Groundhog Day with existential dreaminess
Solvej Balle’s newly translated speculative novel, On the Calculation of Volume (parts I and II), examines the numbing effects of time through the old trope of being stuck in a single day. It is an effective meditation ⌘ Read more

US congressional speeches are getting less evidence-based over time
An AI analysis finds that since the 1970s, speeches by US Congress members have shifted to favour language such as “fake news” and “mislead” over words such as “science” and “statistics” ⌘ Read more